Lane Kiffin says he anticipates being Ole Miss football coach next season, after Egg Bowl loss

OXFORD — Asked if he anticipates being Ole Miss' head coach next season after the Rebels' Egg Bowl loss Thursday, Lane Kiffin said he does.

Kiffin, whose name has been repeatedly connected to the Auburn opening, just concluded his third regular season at the head of the Rebels' program with an 8-4 record. For clarity, Kiffin was again asked if he anticipated he would remain Ole Miss' coach if Auburn offered him the job.

"I do," he said.

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Kiffin did say that he felt his job situation was a distraction in the leadup to the game, citing a report from a Starkville-based TV journalist, Jon Sokoloff, that claimed Kiffin was set to step down and accept the Auburn job after the Egg Bowl.

He held a team meeting in response to that report, he said.

"I had to have a team meeting because of that," Kiffin said postgame. "When there's other stuff and chat rooms...when a reporter writes that, it changes the game for them."

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Lane Kiffin anticipates being Ole Miss football coach next season